Missy Elliott has opened up about some of her mental health struggles that she’s had to overcome over the course of her career.
Speaking as the latest cover star of Essence, the Grammy Award-winning artist had a candid conversation about her battle with depression and anxiety and explained how both mental disorders can affect anybody.
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“Now I’m fine with being like, ‘Hey, I got anxiety’ or ‘I went through depression,'” she said. “Even the biggest artist, or just the regular everyday working person, we all go through shit. We all do. And it’s okay to say, ‘Hey, I’m not okay today.’ Probably we would keep a lot of people around if we were that open, because we would be able to uplift each other.
“We’d know that I’m not going to look at you crazy if you say, ‘Hey, I’m having a rough day.’ Maybe you’re thinking things that you shouldn’t think, or whatever the case may be.”
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She went on: “I had a peer of mine say, ‘Hey, look, I’ve been through the same thing.’ And he was just like, ‘Next time I see you, I’m going to put a mirror in front of your face, so you can remember who you are and all that you’ve done.'”
Check out Missy Elliott’s Essence cover below:
This is not the first time the Virginia-born producer, rapper and singer has discussed her mental health in detail. In November 2019, she told Billboard that her anxiety stems from her childhood.
“I was always feisty, always that kid that would be on the porch with a hairbrush singing or rapping,” she said at the time. “I got more shy as I got older and realized people could be laughing at me, or judging me.”
In other related news, Missy Elliott recently became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she’s now celebrating the accolade with her fans, friends and fellow artists.
Last month, the Supa Dupa Fly rapper took to social media to express excitement about the prestigious honor. In an Instagram post, Missy noted how this moment was not only “huge” for her but for all her “sisters in Hip Hop.”
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“I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my Sisters in HIPHOP this door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work that many of us WOMEN contribute to MUSIC,” she wrote in the post. “I have cried all day because I am GRATEFUL thank you @rockhall & all on the committee & Supafriends.”
Other 2023 inductees include DJ Kool Herc, Chaka Khan and TV host Don Cornelius, all of whom she thanked for their “hard work and impact on music.”
